Monday, February 22, 2010

Uh oh ... that NATO coalition honeymoon seems to be over.

Dutch government collapses after Labour withdrawal from coalitionRow over extension of Dutch troops' tour of duty in Afghanistan forces Labour out of Jan Peter Balkenende's ruling coalition

The Dutch government has ­collapsed over disagreements on whether or not to extend troop deployment in Afghanistan.

The prime minister, Jan Peter Balkenende, said the Labour party – the second-largest party in his ruling coalition – was quitting...

"A plan was agreed when our soldiers went to Afghanistan," said the Labour leader, Wouter Bos. "Our partners in the government didn't want to stick to that plan, and on the basis of their refusal we have decided to resign from this government."